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Territory Controlled by the Axis Powers in Europe and Africa
September 1942
How the Axis Powers Conquered Territory One Step at a Time
Much of the following information is in your book, but some of it isn't. The information that's included in my class notes is what will be on the test, but I thought this was a bit more detailed and fill in some of the gaps that the book doesn't include.
The timeline below shows how most of Europe was captured by Germany and Italy one step at a time. I do not include an account of how parts of Africa and the Middle East were at times occupied by the Axis Powers. A discussion of how Japan conquered a bunch of territory in the Pacific before and early on in World War 2 will be included in Chapter 17 Section 3 of this website.
Nazi-Italian Treaty (1936): Treaty of friendship between Germany and Italy, laying the groundwork for the formation of the Axis Powers (which would also include Japan a few years later). This was done when both Hitler and Mussolini thought it was important to help Francisco Franco gain power (and establish another Fascist govt) in Spain during the Civil War that was going on in the country.
German Annexation of Austria (1938): Hitler annexes Austria, which voted 99% in favor of being absorbed into Germany after Hitler had marched his army into the country. This action violated the Treaty of Versailles that ending WWI, but the Allies didn't do anything to prevent it from happening.
German Invasion of Czechoslovakia (1939):Germany annexed lands along the northern and western borders from Czechoslovakia (Sudetenland), since there were considerable German populations in these regions. The inability and unwillingness of Czechoslovakia or its supporting European powers to prevent the German annexation of Sudetenland was obvious (The Munich Agreement), giving Nazi Germany the encouragement to invade the remainder of the country less than 6 monhts later.
Italian Conquest of Albania (1939): After Hitler invades Czechoslovakia, Italy invades and conquers Albania. When Italy witnessed Nazi Germany aggressively taking control of territory it felt entitled to, Italy felt like it should do the same. Many people of Italian heritage were location in Albania at the time. Again.... surrounding European countries did nothing (at least militarily) to prevent this from happening.
Pact of Steel Between Germany and Italy (1939): Germany and Italy had both conquered territories each felt were rightfully theirs, in Czechoslovakia (for Germany) and Albania (Italy). England and France responded with strong threats of a military response if territorial conquests continued. This caused Germany and Italy to enter into a new pact, pledging military support to one or the other if either was attacked.
Secret Nazi-Soviet Pact (1939): Hitler planned to invade Poland soon, understanding that it may finally cause a hostile response from the Allies (because of the size and number of people in Poland). Hitler didn't want to have to fight a 2 front war like Germany did during the early stages of WWI, so he negotiated a non-aggression pact (meaning they agreed to not fight each other) with the Soviets in secret to try to prevent that from happening. The Soviet Union agreed to allow Germany to invade and that it wouldn't get involved. In exchange, Germany agreed that it would allow the Soviets to march its military into Eastern Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland to reclaim territory it had lost as party of the Treaty of Versailles at the end of WWI.
Spanish Dictator Attempts to Join Axis Powers (1939): General Franco becomes the head of the Spanish government in 1939 after gaining victory in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). Victory was achieved with the support of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Since Franco's style of leadership was similar to the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy), Franco wanted Spain to become part of the arrangement. Hitler and Mussolini didn't allow this to happen. Spain had been weakened by their own Civil War and did not have enough to offer the 2 leaders. Spain did remain supportive to the Axis cause, offering naval bases for German ships. However, Franco refused to adopt the Nazi's anti-Jewish policies. Spain ended up serving as a safe haven for Jews throughout World War II.
German Invasion of Poland, Start of WWII (Sept. 1, 1939 - early October): Germany invades Poland, officially beginning World War II in Europe (it had already begun in East Asia between China and Japan). Hitler wanted to restore ownership of the "Polish Corridor" (northern handle of Poland) that Germany had lost as part of the Treaty of Versailles to end WWI. This would connect East Prussia (which was land still controlled by Germany) to the rest of Germany. Poland and England attempted to negotiate with Nazi Germany to give the land up in order to avoid war with a militarily superior Germany. Hitler preferred invasion and occupation of Poland, knowing that it had a secret non-aggression pact with the USSR, and that without Russia, Germany could not be stopped. When negotiations stalled, Hitler invaded. Poland was no match for the Nazi army, quickly placing most of it under German control.
Allies Declare War on Germany (Sept 3, 1939): The United Kingdom and France declare war on Germany shortly after launching its invasion of Poland. This official begins WWII.
Soviet Invasion of East Poland (Sept. 17, 1939): The Soviets invaded Eastern Poland as part of its secret agreement with the Nazis, allowing Germany to take over the remaining majority of Poland. It takes control of the region by the end of the month.
Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia Accept Soviet Control (1939 - 1940): The German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact allowed Russia to enter and take control of the nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The Soviets had a guarantee that Germany would not intervene. The Soviets knew that western nations that supported the independence of these nations (UK, France, USA) would be too busy with Germany to worry about these nations. After Germany invaded Poland, Russia sent warships to the coast of each nation. They arrived with an ultimatum, to either accept Soviet occupation or prepare for an invasion. Within a few weeks (by October of '39), all 3 nations had accepted the Soviets terms and lost their independence. The Soviets set up military bases inside their borders. In 1940, the Soviets took the next step toward complete control. Each nation determined that it was best to peacefully surrender, rather than resist and suffer heavy loss of life against a vastly superior USSR Red Army. The Soviets deported large numbers of citizens of each nation to Siberia to work in slave camps. The existing governments in each country were overthrown and replaced by Soviet-controlled communist governments.
The timeline below shows how most of Europe was captured by Germany and Italy one step at a time. I do not include an account of how parts of Africa and the Middle East were at times occupied by the Axis Powers. A discussion of how Japan conquered a bunch of territory in the Pacific before and early on in World War 2 will be included in Chapter 17 Section 3 of this website.
Nazi-Italian Treaty (1936): Treaty of friendship between Germany and Italy, laying the groundwork for the formation of the Axis Powers (which would also include Japan a few years later). This was done when both Hitler and Mussolini thought it was important to help Francisco Franco gain power (and establish another Fascist govt) in Spain during the Civil War that was going on in the country.
German Annexation of Austria (1938): Hitler annexes Austria, which voted 99% in favor of being absorbed into Germany after Hitler had marched his army into the country. This action violated the Treaty of Versailles that ending WWI, but the Allies didn't do anything to prevent it from happening.
German Invasion of Czechoslovakia (1939):Germany annexed lands along the northern and western borders from Czechoslovakia (Sudetenland), since there were considerable German populations in these regions. The inability and unwillingness of Czechoslovakia or its supporting European powers to prevent the German annexation of Sudetenland was obvious (The Munich Agreement), giving Nazi Germany the encouragement to invade the remainder of the country less than 6 monhts later.
Italian Conquest of Albania (1939): After Hitler invades Czechoslovakia, Italy invades and conquers Albania. When Italy witnessed Nazi Germany aggressively taking control of territory it felt entitled to, Italy felt like it should do the same. Many people of Italian heritage were location in Albania at the time. Again.... surrounding European countries did nothing (at least militarily) to prevent this from happening.
Pact of Steel Between Germany and Italy (1939): Germany and Italy had both conquered territories each felt were rightfully theirs, in Czechoslovakia (for Germany) and Albania (Italy). England and France responded with strong threats of a military response if territorial conquests continued. This caused Germany and Italy to enter into a new pact, pledging military support to one or the other if either was attacked.
Secret Nazi-Soviet Pact (1939): Hitler planned to invade Poland soon, understanding that it may finally cause a hostile response from the Allies (because of the size and number of people in Poland). Hitler didn't want to have to fight a 2 front war like Germany did during the early stages of WWI, so he negotiated a non-aggression pact (meaning they agreed to not fight each other) with the Soviets in secret to try to prevent that from happening. The Soviet Union agreed to allow Germany to invade and that it wouldn't get involved. In exchange, Germany agreed that it would allow the Soviets to march its military into Eastern Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland to reclaim territory it had lost as party of the Treaty of Versailles at the end of WWI.
Spanish Dictator Attempts to Join Axis Powers (1939): General Franco becomes the head of the Spanish government in 1939 after gaining victory in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). Victory was achieved with the support of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Since Franco's style of leadership was similar to the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy), Franco wanted Spain to become part of the arrangement. Hitler and Mussolini didn't allow this to happen. Spain had been weakened by their own Civil War and did not have enough to offer the 2 leaders. Spain did remain supportive to the Axis cause, offering naval bases for German ships. However, Franco refused to adopt the Nazi's anti-Jewish policies. Spain ended up serving as a safe haven for Jews throughout World War II.
German Invasion of Poland, Start of WWII (Sept. 1, 1939 - early October): Germany invades Poland, officially beginning World War II in Europe (it had already begun in East Asia between China and Japan). Hitler wanted to restore ownership of the "Polish Corridor" (northern handle of Poland) that Germany had lost as part of the Treaty of Versailles to end WWI. This would connect East Prussia (which was land still controlled by Germany) to the rest of Germany. Poland and England attempted to negotiate with Nazi Germany to give the land up in order to avoid war with a militarily superior Germany. Hitler preferred invasion and occupation of Poland, knowing that it had a secret non-aggression pact with the USSR, and that without Russia, Germany could not be stopped. When negotiations stalled, Hitler invaded. Poland was no match for the Nazi army, quickly placing most of it under German control.
Allies Declare War on Germany (Sept 3, 1939): The United Kingdom and France declare war on Germany shortly after launching its invasion of Poland. This official begins WWII.
Soviet Invasion of East Poland (Sept. 17, 1939): The Soviets invaded Eastern Poland as part of its secret agreement with the Nazis, allowing Germany to take over the remaining majority of Poland. It takes control of the region by the end of the month.
Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia Accept Soviet Control (1939 - 1940): The German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact allowed Russia to enter and take control of the nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The Soviets had a guarantee that Germany would not intervene. The Soviets knew that western nations that supported the independence of these nations (UK, France, USA) would be too busy with Germany to worry about these nations. After Germany invaded Poland, Russia sent warships to the coast of each nation. They arrived with an ultimatum, to either accept Soviet occupation or prepare for an invasion. Within a few weeks (by October of '39), all 3 nations had accepted the Soviets terms and lost their independence. The Soviets set up military bases inside their borders. In 1940, the Soviets took the next step toward complete control. Each nation determined that it was best to peacefully surrender, rather than resist and suffer heavy loss of life against a vastly superior USSR Red Army. The Soviets deported large numbers of citizens of each nation to Siberia to work in slave camps. The existing governments in each country were overthrown and replaced by Soviet-controlled communist governments.
Soviets Invade Finland. only annexes a small part of it (1939): As part of the Soviet-Nazi non-agression pact, Finland was allowed to be taken over by the Soviets. The Soviet Army experienced little difficulty adding the other areas identified by the nonagression pact, but ran into difficulties with Finland. Over the course of 4 months, Finland had nearly used up all of their ammunitions, while the Soviets became eager to end what had turned out to be an embarrassing war. The Soviets were outperformed by the weaker country, suffering over 126,000 casualties against the much smaller army. By early 1940, the 2 had agreed to stop fighting and Finland gave up a small portion of its country.
Phony War between Allies and Germany along Germany - France Border (late 1939 - mid 1940): After invading Poland, the Allies expected an all out invasion into France and dug trenches along the border at what became known as the Maginot Line. Germany had its own series of trenches just inside its border known as the Siegfried Line. For the better part of the next 6 months, both sides stayed in their trenches, occassionally bombed the other, but didn't engage in any major conflicts. This became referred to as the Phony War. It wouldn't remain phony for long. Eventually the German Army would make it's push west.
Germany Conquers Denmark (Apr. 9, 1940): Knowing the Allies (UK & France) were considering occupation of weaker countries near France (Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg), or a naval blockade in the area at the very least, Germany decided to strike first to keep a strategic advantage. The Nazi army had brief resistance before Denmark surrendered by the end of the first day of battle, knowing that its army was no match for the Germans.
German Conquers The Netherlands, Belgium & Luxembourg by May 15, 1940.
Germany Conquers Norway (June 10, 1940): Norway provided ports for Germany's ships that wanted to enter the Atlantic Ocean from the North, and allowed Germany to secure shipments of iron-ore. Germany needed the iron-ore to fuel its war and industrial machine. Capturing Norway proved to be Germany's most difficult conquest since the war began, especially since Allied troops from France and England had been provided to support the Norwegians. However, the Nazi army proved too powerful, causing Norway's surrender after about one month of fighting.
Germany Conquers France (May 10 - June 25, 1940): Hitler briefly attempted to establish a peace treaty with France and England under the conditions that they recognize German conquests that had taken place (or were in the process of taking place) so far. When the Allies refused, Hitler knew he would have to quickly conquer France. France was overpowered, as Paris was captured on June 5 before France's official surrender a few weeks later. The Germans directly occupied and administered Northern France (including Paris), while a new French government was established in the south, referred to as "Vichy France". This government really didn't have any power of its own and was forced to do what the Nazis wanted if they didn't want to have military action occur in their territory.
Battle of Britain (July-Oct, 1940): Now that Germany had captured Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France, its next object was to force England to surrender. Hitler's strategy in doing so was to break down England's air defense through a relentless air force bombing campaign and follow that up with the German navy dropping off troops on the shores to occupy it. Over the course of several months, England sustained major bombing but the British air force ultimately defeated the German air force (Luftwaffe) with the help of improved radar. During the 3 - 4 months of bombing, more than 27,000 English civilians died.
Japan Joins Germany and Italy in the Axis Agreement (Sept. 27, 1940): The three powers officially enter into a military alliance, referred to as the Axis Powers, to oppose the Allies.
Italy and Germany Invade Greece (Oct 1940 - April 1941): Italy invaded Greece after Greece rejects demand for Italian occupation. The Greek military successfully defended its country from the assault at first, but once the Germany army assisted the Italian troops in early April, it became too much and became occupied by the Axis Powers.
Axis Powers Gain Strong Advantage in Battle of the Atlantic ( Late 1940 - 1941): Now that Germany controlled all of the coastal territory of Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium and all of France's Atlantic coast lines, they were able to deploy ships much more effectively into the Atlantic. German ships and submarines (U-boats) managed to sink a large number of Allied ships, gaining the advantage in the Atlantic.
Hungary joins the Axis Powers (November, 1940): Under pressure from Germany, Hungary joined the Axis. Although initially hoping to avoid direct involvement in the war, Hungary's participation soon became inevitable. In 1941, Hungarian forces participated in the invasion of Yugoslavia and the invasion of the Soviet Union. Approximately 300,000 Hungarian soldiers and 80,000 civilians died during World War II and many cities were damaged, most notably the capital of Budapest. Most Jews in Hungary were protected from deportation to German death camps for the first few years of the war. This changed in 1944. Hungarian Jews began to be deported to the Auschwitz and by the end of the war, roughly half a million Jews had been killed.
Romania joins the Axis Powers (November, 1940): Most Romanians had agreed with the persecution of Jewish and Slavic people, so they were willing to join the Axis Powers when approached. As a member of the Axis, Romania joined the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. It provided equipment and oil to Nazi Germany as well as committing more troops to the Eastern Front than any of the other Axis Powers. In 1944 with Germany in retreat and the country being heavily bombed by the Allies, a successful revolution occurred in Bulgaria with the new government deciding to switch its allegiance to the Allies.
Bulgaria joins the Axis Powers (March, 1941): The German military wanted to begin to invade Yugoslavia and gave the Bulgarian government a decision to make.... either join the Axis Powers or become occupied by force. They chose to join the Axis Powers. Over the course of the next 3 years, the Bulgarians had very little military participation with the Germans and Italians. In September of 1944 (as Germany was retreating from and under constant pressure by the Soviet military), Bulgaria officially ended their affiliation with the Axis Powers and became part of the Allies.
Axis Powers Take Iraq (April, 1941): In April, an Axis-friendly revolutionary forces overthrows the existing iraqi government (that supported the Allies).
German/Axis Invasion and Conquest of Yugoslavia (April, 1941): The Germans commenced the invasion on Yugoslavia the same day as their invasion of Greece (April 6). Victory came swiftly, with Yugoslavia surrendering just 11 days later.
Germany Begins Invasion of USSR (June 22, 1941): On this date, the Germany army crossed the German-Soviet border, which broke the non-aggression pact that Stalin and Hitler had signed earlier. Hitler had always intended to invade the USSR, with the purpose of expanding the territory for Germans to live in, and to increase access to needed raw materials. In addition, Hitler viewed most Russians as inferior (many were Jewish, Polish, or Slavic) and also didn't like communism. The non-aggression pact signed in 1939 simply gave Germany the time to conquer Central and Western Europe before turning their attention towards conquering Eastern Europe. By mid 1941, Hitler felt his army was prepared for the challenge and that the Soviet military was weakened following their poor performance in the Winter War vs. Finland. The Nazi army quickly conquered Soviet-controlled Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, part of Finland, and a large chunk of Western Russia.
German Siege of Leningrad (USSR) Begins (Sept. 8, 1941): The German army attempted to destroy and starve the city of Leningrad through heavy bombardments and blockade. They would not stop trying to capture Leningrad until January of 1944. More than 1.1 million people would die during this single conflict.
Germany Starts Battle of Moscow (Oct. 2, 1941): The German army attempted to capture the Soviet capital. The Soviets managed to keep the Nazi army just outside city lines. Over the course of the next few years, the front lines remained close to Moscow. By preventing a quick conquest of Moscow and Leningrad, the Soviets forced the Germans into a long
war which would eventually prove to be too much for the Nazis to handle and led to their retreat in 1944.
Germany Starts (and eventually loses) the Battle of Stalingrad (July, 1942 - Feb, 1943): A large part of the German army attempted to destroy and capture the major industrial center (not listed on the map above but located about 200 miles Southwest of Moscow). By its completion in 1943, it would become the deadliest battle in human history, with roughly 2 million combined deaths. The heavy losses inflicted on the German army (many Germans ended up getting trapped inside the city as the Russian military bombed them... and their own civilians) made it the most significant turning point in the whole war. After the Battle of Stalingrad, German forces never recovered their earlier strength and began to gradually lose ground to the Soviet military for the rest of the war.
Germany Starts Battle of Moscow (Oct. 2, 1941): The German army attempted to capture the Soviet capital. The Soviets managed to keep the Nazi army just outside city lines. Over the course of the next few years, the front lines remained close to Moscow. By preventing a quick conquest of Moscow and Leningrad, the Soviets forced the Germans into a long
war which would eventually prove to be too much for the Nazis to handle and led to their retreat in 1944.
Germany Starts (and eventually loses) the Battle of Stalingrad (July, 1942 - Feb, 1943): A large part of the German army attempted to destroy and capture the major industrial center (not listed on the map above but located about 200 miles Southwest of Moscow). By its completion in 1943, it would become the deadliest battle in human history, with roughly 2 million combined deaths. The heavy losses inflicted on the German army (many Germans ended up getting trapped inside the city as the Russian military bombed them... and their own civilians) made it the most significant turning point in the whole war. After the Battle of Stalingrad, German forces never recovered their earlier strength and began to gradually lose ground to the Soviet military for the rest of the war.
Enemy at the Gates
Above is the trailer for the 2001 movie Enemy at the Gates. It shows what the Battle of Stalingrad was like. It's not entirely historically accurate, but it sure does a good job showing what it was like being inside a major city that has been totally ravaged by war. The Battle of Stalingrad is discussed in our textbook in Chapter 17 Section 1 since it didn't start until after Pearl Harbor. The Battle only included German and Russian troops. It's worth watching and isn't overly long (2 hours 10 minutes), but probably will not be shown during class due to time restrictions.
Dunkirk
Above is a trailer for a movie that came out in July of 2017 called Dunkirk. It is about how French and British soldiers were surrounded at the beach in the French city of the same name and how they retreated across the English Channel to escape certain death in 1940.
Darkest Hour
Above is a trailer for a movie that comes out over the Winter Break of 2017 called Darkest Hour. It is about Winston Churchill becoming Prime Minister of England during WWII. Some of the WWII events that it likely focuses on involve the Munich Agreement, the organized retreat at Dunkirk, and the Battle of Britain. I plan on viewing the film during the winter break.
The Munich Agreement
I plan on showing the above clip from the 38 second mark to 4 minutes and 8 seconds to explain appeasement.
Invasion of Poland
REVIEW CLIP #4: Hitler conquering Europe
This 9 minute clip covers content in sections 2 and 4.
The first 5 minutes and 40 seconds covers content in section 2. It includes Hitler conquering Poland, the phony war, invasions of Northern European countries, France, what happened at Dunkirk, and the constant bombing of England.
The remaining 3 and a half minutes covers content in section 4 including FDR's reelection in 1940, the Lend-Lease Plan, the invasion of Russia, U.S. Supply ships starting to get sunk by Germany, the Atlantic Charter, and the formation of the Allies.
This is the 4th video clip that I showed in class with questions.
The first 5 minutes and 40 seconds covers content in section 2. It includes Hitler conquering Poland, the phony war, invasions of Northern European countries, France, what happened at Dunkirk, and the constant bombing of England.
The remaining 3 and a half minutes covers content in section 4 including FDR's reelection in 1940, the Lend-Lease Plan, the invasion of Russia, U.S. Supply ships starting to get sunk by Germany, the Atlantic Charter, and the formation of the Allies.
This is the 4th video clip that I showed in class with questions.